With so many opportunities to get digitally creative these days, it is easy to see how one could go overboard on their personal or company website. Due to this excess of options, one may ask – how much is too much? While perhaps a better question is – where do I focus?
Knowing that most site visits are less than a minute long, and that visitors choose to stay or go in under 10 seconds, should it make a difference in how you approach content display? It is important to find out about your audience and them provide visitors what they want in an uncomplicated fashion. Doing so will not only increase time spent, but also increases the likelihood of your visitors coming back.
Who is your audience and why are they visiting?
Don’t try to be all things to all people. Know who you want to visit your site and tailor the content accordingly. Then include elements within your site where you can learn the demographic breakdown of visitors to see if they match your original intentions. Consider tools available to help with this, whether it is Google analytics, investing money and time to do incentive-driven surveys, or creating a “fan club”.
Think about why they are coming to your site – are you a fact source, video entertainment, a place to shop, or a real time information vehicle?
You should always provide your visitors content that they can’t get elsewhere. Is it engagement with you? Personal tidbits? Exclusive videos? Product? This is especially key for athletes whose personal sites should be the go-to for fans.
What is your message?
This is your platform, your forum to speak. What do you want to come across? When they click on your site, what are their first thoughts? Most often a clean, arresting visual or a one-sentence statement can create more impact than an overload of information.
Larry Fitzgerald’s and Tim Tebow’s sites both do a good job with a lot of information and have look/feel unique to their personalities. Their sites are inviting in nature and deliver information in a manner that is easy to navigate for their fans. Lance Armstrong’s site is also top notch in terms of driving home his cause and his message.
How can you engage with your visitors?
One way is to look at written or video Q&A opportunities, similar to what Derrick Rose has on his page. Another good example is Ben Roethlisberger’s, while not the most beautiful site, it is skilled in fan celebration. Fan pictures are highlighted on a weekly basis and the site includes a happy birthday area where individuals get birthday recognition each month.
“If you build it, they will come” only works with baseball fields. It’s not enough just to build it; you need to cater to the desires or those who will visit. Do that, and they will not only stay awhile, they will come back.
Author:
Katie Marston is a partner in VMGelement , a personal brand development company focusing on professional athletes. Follow her on Twitter at @ktmarston
